Homeschooling with Documentaries

Documentaries are an excellent tool for home education

Imagine having a visual learner with dyslexia who often can't remember what you read to him an hour before but can quote an entire movie after he sees it once. Enter homeschooling with documentaries to help add in the visual element he needs!

Imagine this same child after getting the visual aspect then pointing out things he remembers when you're re-reading the text account 3 days later.

I was hesitant to add TV time as part of our learning. I'm a believer in Charlotte Mason's methods but my child needed something more than just great stories. He needs to have multi-sensory learning to help his brain and body process information in a way that makes it stick!

I've fallen in love with having this particular genre of media added into our schooling. Seeing his confidence grow as he is able to learn faster and remember more details is such a gift.

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Homeschool with Documentaries

By now, you've heard of homeschooling with documentaries on Netflix through friends on Facebook, your favorite blogs, or from friends at the co-op. Perhaps Amazon Prime, Curiosity Stream or some other online service, as well as DVDs from the library, were mentioned too. If you have a visual learner, these can be invaluable, but almost all children enjoy the visual aspect of learning through documentaries.

*A note - if your family doesn’t subscribe to streaming services one of the many budget friendly ways we have built a library of documentaries is by shopping thrift stores, yard sales, Facebook marketplace, and by letting friends and family know we’d be interested in DVDs they are cleaning out. Always check the disks when purchasing second hand but we’ve been able to build a great library of resources for my history lover this way, and they never expire :)

We are living in an age with incredible resources available to us for utilizing documentaries to reinforce learning everything from facts about the Hubble Telescope to the lives of Nate Saint and Jim Elliot. Homeschool documentaries are even out there for helping to show our children why we chose this educational method for our families.

We've put together 101 of our favorite reasons to homeschool with documentaries as well as several of our favorites here for you. We do use many documentaries and the occasional movie or show (like Liberty's Kids) to help our boys remember more facts about what we are learning. With dyslexia in the mix we are super grateful to have these resources!

Homeschooling with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Curiosity Stream

We've included everything from the fascinating history documentaries to really cool series that explore many different topics! I hope you find reassurance that documentaries do count as learning and find some cool new ones to view with your family. Here are our 101 reasons and resources!

1. Helps you to think about a topic from a different perspective

2. Lets you learn something you didn't already know

3. Teaches a lot of information in a clear, concise way

4. Opens the mind to other possibilities

5. Develops reasoning skills

6. Let's you explore other areas of the world without leaving home

7. Allows experts to teach your children without a high cost

8. Let's kids experience learning from someone other than mom/dad

9. An easy way to introduce new topics

10. Develops communication skills

11. Offers topics of conversation

12. Can change preconceived ideas

13. Gives a glimpse into possible career opportunities

14. Builds depth and breadth of knowledge

15. Keeps the brain active

16. Safe for the family entertainment (but always preview!)

17. Can be used to develop debate skills

18. Gives insight into the way other minds work

19. Let's one experience areas of interest through the eyes/life of experts in the field

20. Cultivates understanding of other cultures

21. Helps to re-think what has been taught inaccurately

22. According to a recent UC Berkeley & BBC research study, watching nature documentaries can have a positive effect on your mental health

23. A way to watch REAL Reality Television - as in the real world and seeing places you might never get to visit in person

24. Deepens understanding of the world around you

25. Helps to develop your own questions about the world

26. Leads to discoveries

27. Provides educational experiences without a lot of work for mom

28. You might discover that common beliefs about historical events are wrong

29. Brings Scientific exploration to life

30. It gives you an intellectual break from the mundane television that fills up most channels.

31. Beyond the Elements, a PBS documentary on Amazon Prime, teaches us about matter and chemistry as it relates to the development of civiliation

32. Genealogy Roadshow, a documentary on Amazon Prime, gives us tips on how to trace our family trees

33. Manor House, a documentary on Amazon Prime, shows us how 19 modern-day volunteers would survive in Edwardian England - perfect for fans of Downton Abbey!

34. Hunting Hitler a History documentary on Amazon Prime, can serve as a prompt for a more advanced, in-depth study of World War II

35. Hilarious Helmet History a season of short documentaries on Amazon Prime, teaches you why your historical misconceptions are beyond silly

36. In The Celts: Blood, Iron and Sacrifice acclaimed archaeologist Neil Oliver shows how the Celts influenced vast areas of the ancient world

37. In the Amazon Prime documentary, Real Pirates, you'll learn about female pirates who out-plundered and outfought some of their fiercest male counterparts

38. The Secret Life of Books gives us new insights into classic books like Jane Eyre and Great Expectations

39. If you want to see far-away places like Ireland, the documentary Secrets of the Stones can give you a breath-taking look

40. Interested in military geniuses like Julius Caesar and Ulysses S. Grant? The Great Commanders will be perfect for you

41. 5 seasons of The Real Story will educate you on the true facts and inspirations behind some of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster movies like Indiana Jones and James Bond

42. The Price of Empire shows us the real cost of war and the rise and fall of great empires

43. Want to learn How to Build a Planet? This documentary from top scientists and engineers will show you just that (Available on Apple TV)

44. From Plymouth to Wounded Knee, the documentary We Shall Remain teaches about the native tribes of North America

45. The TV show How Did They Build That? will keep your family engaged for hours learning about amazing structures all over the world

46. Watch exclusive and original documentaries with Curiosity Stream including topics about science, civilizations, the arts and more which is now available on Amazon Prime channels

47. Stereokroma TV on Amazon Prime has almost two dozen 'how it's made' videos including butcher block, maple syrup candy, and Panda candy.

48. If you want to learn great facts and tidbits about dozens of items from the Slinky to Haagen Dazs ice cream, Wow, I Never Knew That! is the show for you

49. The Amazon Prime documentary series Continents of the World Series For Kids takes kids around the world, showing them the history and nature of the world

50. Want to inspire your kids to do great things? Wide World of Kids shows us the incredible achievements of dozens of amazing kids

51. Let's kids explore ancient civilizations through 3D animations.

52. STEM exploration, discover technology, possibilities and inventions of those doing the work.

53. Go on a treasure hunt with those in the world who are actual treasure hunters

54. Travel the world through documentaries

55. Travel into outer space through 3d animation

56. Travel inside the human body to discover anatomy from the inside

57. Experience incredible music concerts, operas, symphonies, ballets and more.

58. Explore the theorems of historical and modern-day mathematicians

59. Explore incredible art from around the globe from the comfort of your own home.

60. Teach children about modern history through documentary films that document live events that have happened in the last 40 years.

61. Learn about the foods you eat every day... how they are grown, how they are harvested, and how they end up in your grocery store.

62. Discover family history through genealogy documentaries... you never know who you'll discover you are related to.

63. Explore various worldviews

64. Explore various religions

65. Learn about world governments

66. Learn about the US governments and how different branches work

67. Learn how money is made

68. Let's children explore their passions.... for example, historical documentaries about cowboys, soldiers or knights, scientific documentaries, about space, or dinosaurs, just to name a few.

69. Learn about Isaac Newton and others with The Gravity of Genius series

70. Explore Secrets of Quantum Physics and how it affects the everyday world

71. Discover ancient rulers, kings, emperors, and dictators.

72. Learn about Hollywood, how movies are made and famous actors through the ages

73. Listen to great lectures from Universities and subject experts around the world with Great Courses

74. Explore thoughtful discussions with TED Talks

75. You can work out or clean house to your favorite get in the groove tunes using Prime Music or listening to documentaries

76. Curiosity Stream is only $3.34 per month

77. Curiosity Stream has educational documentaries for kids, teens, and grown-ups.

78. Delight your young inventors with Inventions that Changed the World

79. Documentaries are perfect for the sports fanatic who yearns to know more about his team or favorite players

80. Documentaries can take us "behind the scene" of our favorite shows and movies

81. There are documentaries that exist to show us a day in the life of crime fighters and federal agents

82. Documentaries can help with unschooling

83. Need a guilt-free break from teaching? Turn on a documentary

84. Forensic Files is the perfect series for a future criminologist

85. Auction Adventures is a wonderful show to learn about the history and uniqueness of everyday items

86. Zoo Vets is a show perfect for the future veterinarian

87. Documentaries like Expedition Unknown give us adventure from the comfort of our own couch

88. You can find several original NASA Television Documentaries on Amazon and Hulu

89. Shows like Big Cat Week can give us a glimpse of animals that we will never, ever have a chance to see in real life

90. Making a Scene on Hulu is a great documentary for movie lovers. It takes us from script to screen.

91. Find hundreds of documentaries on Amazon Prime Video for any topic of interest

92. Learn about great composers and musicians through documentaries such as: Stories of Great Composers available on Amazon Prime

93. Travel across the pond with the Pilgrims in the documentary "Pilgrims" available on Amazon Prime.

94. Teach your children about Ellis Island and how it served as the gateway into the U.S. for many immigrants with the documentary "Forgotten, Ellis Island" available on Amazon Prime.

95. Learn how genealogy plays a role in communities with Genealogy Roadshow - an Amazon Prime series.

96. Explore the legend, the curse, of Shakespeare's tomb, with archeologists in "Shakespeare's Tomb."

97. Explore the Great Pyramids of Giza with "Scanning The Pyramids" on Curiosity Stream

98. Watch exclusive and original documentaries with Curiosity Stream including topics about science, civilizations, the arts and more which is now available on Amazon Prime channels

99. Use documentaries to allow your children to see great performances of Shakespeare, symphonies, orchestras, musical prodigies and more.

100. Explore STEM learning utilizing Documentaries that give you insights into science, tech, engineering, and math, with zero mess.

101. Discover biographies relating to historical figures who brought about change, affected the world, made amazing discoveries and inventions.

Homeschooling with documentaries is truly a great way to help reinforce learning. What is your family's favorite documentary?